BioShock — Settings, Requirements & Optimization
2007 · Shooter, Action · Digital Extremes · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 96

Optimize BioShock for your hardware
Pick your GPU, CPU, resolution and target refresh rate, then generate a printable settings card with per-preset expectations and upscaler guidance.
Optimize BioShock for your PC
This is a planning estimate derived from the game's demand tier, not a benchmark.
My BioShock Settings Card
Generated at GameFigs on 2026-08-21. Game demand tier: 6/9.
Official system requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: Operating System: Windows XP (with Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista | Recommended: CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo processor |
| Processor | CPU: Intel single-core Pentium 4 processor at 2.4GHz | RAM: 2GB |
| Memory | RAM: 1 GB | Video Card: DX 9 - Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT or better), DX 10 - NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or better |
| Graphics | Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better, excluding ATI X1550) | Sound Card: SoundBlaster(r) X-Fi(tm) series (optimized foruse with Creative Labs EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 or EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 compatible sound cards) |
| Storage | Sound Card: 100% direct X 9.0c compatible sound card | — |
| DirectX | Hard Drive Space: 8GB | — |
| Item 7 | Game requires Internet connection for activation | — |
About BioShock
FPS with RPG elements, Bioshock invites players to experience horrors of underwater isolation in the city of Rapture, the failed project of the better future. After surviving the plane crash, the protagonist has only one way to go – to the giant lighthouse that opens a way to the underwater utopia. Players will have to unravel the complicated history of Rapture, relying only on themselves, their guns and Plasmids, a mystical substance, that allows it’s user to obtain near magical abilities. The atmosphere of isolation and threat is conveyed through the environmental sounds, subtle electrical buzzing and audio logs, telling the story of societal decay and despair. Players will shape the story, making moral choices along their way, saving Little Sisters or extracting ADAM, the mystical fuel for your abilities. While exploring the underwater city, players will complete missions for the last sane inhabitants of Rapture, while fending off the less fortunate ones.
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Sources & attribution
- Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- FPS bands, presets and upscaler advice on this page are GameFigs planning estimates from the game's demand tier — not benchmark results.
How the BioShock optimization card is computed
Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). Your GPU and CPU selections map to comparable-class scores. The generator compares your hardware score against the game's demand to pick a starting preset, estimate an FPS band at 1080p/1440p/4K, and recommend an upscaler (DLSS / FSR 3) and ray-tracing posture. The output is a planning guide — always verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available.